The Reading High hurdler thought about bolting from West Lawn after false-starting Saturday’s 110 hurdles race.

“I wanted to leave and go home,” said the top-seeded Nelson, fresh off a victory in the first hurdles event. “But staying made it a lot better.”

Rejecting his initial urge, Nelson remained to run the opening leg of Reading’s record-setting 1600 relay, which capped an afternoon of surprises and disappointments at the 47th Leonard Stephan Meet.

Nelson’s teammate, Romarr Mayne, rebounded, too.

After a mental error cost Mayne the 100 title, the county’s fastest sprinter anchored Reading’s 400 relay, which set the afternoon’s other meet record; found redemption in winning the 200; and anchored that meet-ending 1600 relay team.

Some weren’t as fortunate as those Red Knights.

Holy Name’s Dan Ciabattoni left John Gurski Stadium on crutches.

Reading’s Jabin Sheriff scratched.

Those jumping stars were expected to battle Muhlenberg junior Tyrell Ellison in this year’s marquee events.

Because the pits are overflowing with talent this spring, Ellison’s wins in all three jumps were still impressive.

But he lost his key adversaries.

Having nursed a sore hamstring for weeks, Ciabattoni, last year’s District 3-AA gold medalist in the long and triple jumps, injured his opposite hamstring in Saturday’s long jump.

Ciabattoni, a junior, managed a second in the triple before leaving the long jump preliminaries in a golf cart that carried him across the infield to the trainer’s room.

Coaches couldn’t say when he’ll return.

Sheriff, the reigning state indoor champion in the high jump, recently pulled his groin. The senior is expected to compete by or before next month’s Firing Meet.

“I actually wanted Jabin to be here,” said Ellison, who held Berks bests in all three jumps last year. “I wanted more competition in the high jump.”

Ellison cleared 6-5 in Saturday’s high, 45-31/2 in the triple and 22-81/2 in the long, 2 inches shy of his personal best.

Mayne broke a personal record in the 200, a particularly sweet mark that came after a bitter defeat.

Cocalico’s Kyle Fisher stole the 100 with a dramatic lean, edging Mayne by two-thousandths of a second.

“I was a little lackadaisical,” said Mayne, the 100 winner at each of last year’s Big Three meets. “I pulled up at the end, and he brought his ‘A’ game.”

The junior proved resilient when he and 4x100 teammates Andre Forbes, Temple-bound running back Malcolm Williams and Kevin Fernandez ran a sizzling 43.15, besting Wilson’s 2003 record by .39 seconds.

Mayne edged Fisher by .04 seconds in the 200 before sprinting with Nelson (the 300 hurdles winner), Fernandez and Forbes to a 3:24.25 in the 4x400, eclipsing Gov. Mifflin’s two-year-old mark by .95 seconds.

“It’s definitely a learning experience,” Mayne said of his comeback. “I can’t underestimate everybody else just because of where I stand.”

Conrad Weiser also produced a pair of surprises on the track.

Newcomer Lamont Fowler, who joined the Scouts from Glen Mills over the winter, ran an eye-catching 49.63 in the 400, nearly two seconds faster than Saturday’s runner-up.

“We’re still learning what he can do,’’ said pleased Scouts coach Dennis Harman, “and we’re still learning how to coach him.”

After cracking the top eight just once in a 2007 Big Three meet (seventh in the Shaner 3200), Weiser’s Clint Keller ran a 4:32.24 for a convincing 1600 win.

In the team race, Wilson had more than twice as many points as its nearest competitor, scoring 1531/2 to win the overall title.

Muhlenberg took second with 69, and Wyomissing earned the AA trophy with 61.